The trial of a new deep cleaning process for trains has proved a success at Bombardier Transportation’s Central Rivers depot in the Midlands. The company has joined forces with Arrow Solutions to introduce a new product to its operations and has just completed the first deep clean of the entire fleet of CrossCountry Voyager trains.

This has involved 57 trains, made up of four and five carriages each, being subjected to a 20-hour exterior bodyside clean with Thickened Oxalwash, which removes iron and rust deposits that aren’t normally eliminated with daily cleaning solutions. The change has resulted in significantly cleaner trains, helping improve the passenger experience and boost the CrossCountry brand in the process.

“I believe the results speak for themselves - you only have to see the difference in the train after we have applied Thickened Oxalwash,” said Colin Dunn, train presentation manager at Bombardier Central Rivers. “It not only gives the train a much cleaner finish, but has also brought hard to clean areas back to a much more acceptable appearance. This includes the door buttons, steps, sole bar and vestibule ends… these are notoriously difficult to clean, but this Arrow product offers the solution.”

Jon Williams, fleet and contract manager (Voyagers) for CrossCountry, continued: “External cleanliness of the train is a critical aspect of creating a positive first impression for our customers. The Oxalwash programme has lifted the overall presentation of the Voyager fleet with significant improvement in the appearance of harder to clean areas and removal of ingrained dirt along the bodyside.”